Following each game in the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers season I will once again be giving you my 10 takes. These aren’t going to be hot takes that are meant to shock the world. These will be instant reactions written while still in that period just following the game when the emotions are high and the ideas are fresh. Included will be thoughts, observations, queries, and reasons that caused me to yell at the television. Here’s 10 takes from the Steelers’ 25-10 Sunday night loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Regular Season Week 10 vs Los Angeles Chargers
1. Rodgers Codger – There are no ways to sugarcoat it. Aaron Rodgers had his worst first half of the year. He overthrew DK Metcalf on a crossing route after working outside the pocket to his left. He threw too high to Jonnu Smith when he was wide open. He underthrew Calvin Austin III on a corner route. And then overthrew Metcalf again for an interception that led to the only touchdown in the first half. The Steelers’ receivers are not good at creating separation, leading to Rodgers having to hold onto the ball longer and getting off rhythm but the poor throws are still on him. Maybe it would be better in the second half. Voiceover: It wasn’t.
2. The Unnatural – “Losing is a disease—as contagious as polio. Losing is a disease—as contagious as syphilis. Losing is a disease—as contagious as bubonic plague, attacking one but infecting all.” A quote from the movie The Natural. This fits this team perfectly tonight. It started with Rodgers. A missed field goal from Chris Boswell. A nice drive in the fourth quarter that failed. There was a perfect throw to Ladd McConkey that grazed the shoulder of Brandin Echols, who was in perfect coverage. The snowball got bigger. A tipped-ball interception. A muffed punt. The bad play attacked one and infected all. Complete disaster.
3. Taking A Charge – Not that it really affected the game but how can a defender run directly into a wide receiver and no flag be thrown? Derwin James, who was not the primary defender on Metcalf, literally just ran into his path. The NBC rules analyst questioning whether he set his feet or not, like a basketball defender. These referees were letting them play more than most. DBs tugging on jerseys for example. But that? It’s pass interference. Clear and simple. That it wasn’t called is baffling.
4. RB Roundup – Thank goodness for Jaylen Warren. If it weren’t for him, the Steelers would have no offense whatsoever. He ran the ball well averaging five yards on 14 carries. He was it. Now the questions come behind him. Who did Kenneth Gainwell anger? He had at least three carries in every game and was averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Why wasn’t he used in his normal role? Kaleb Johnson had two carries in the first quarter. He only had three first quarter carries all season, rarely even getting on the field. And those weren’t with the team’s back to the end zone. Some curious decisions by OC Arthur Smith in the one.
5. DL Doing Work – Looking for some bright spots, the defensive line had a rather good game. Cam Heyward continued to do Cam Heyward things. Six tackles, a tackle for a loss and yet another pass batted at the line of scrimmage. Keeanu Benton, I mentioned last week. I said he was getting close to making more plays. He was dominant up front. Seven tackles, two for a loss and sack. Rookie Derrick Harmon tied his career high with four tackles. Yahya Black had a nice stop at the line of scrimmage as well. The Chargers’ offensive line was beat up, so the Steelers’ DL should have played well. I had to try to find some positives.
6. Zero for 9 – That is what the Steelers were on third and fourth down until extremely late in the game. Zero conversions. It’s hard not to get a conversion even by accident. They weren’t super long downs either. The longest was 10 yards, the shortest two. Rodgers was two-for-eight for 10 yards, two sacks and one safety. There was plenty of blame to go around. Bad throws. Bad choice of where to throw. Lack of ability to get open. No running the ball on third and two. You have to give some credit to the Chargers’ defense as well. When this team goes bad, it goes really bad.
7. The Tush Push – The Steelers were able to stop it once. Unfortunately, Los Angeles ran it again. The beauty of the NFL is that on every play there is a 50/50 shot the offense can win the rep or the defense can win the rep. With the tush push, those odds change dramatically in the offense’s favor and take the mystery out of the play. On the other hand, the goal when designing a play is to make it successful. So, it’s hard to punish the offense for running an effective play. I just find it not fun to watch.
8. Pierre’s Play – I made a plea last week to get James Pierre more playing time. He got it this week due to Darius Slay getting knocked out of the game with a concussion. Pierre did his part again. Broke up two more passes and had five tackles. He brings physicality to the position that the other corners don’t have. Especially now that Jalen Ramsey has moved to safety. He’s willing to go low and make tackles. He plays through the receiver’s hands at the catch point. Maybe Slay would be better off in a part time role.
9. Fifty, A New Low – Every game this season, the Steelers’ defense has been on the field for more snaps than the offense. The offense has ranged from 54 to 63 plays in each game. The defense has ranged from 64 to 84. Tonight, it was 50 for the offense and 69 for the defense. And it took an eight-play drive with less than five minutes to go in the game to get to 50. The offense doesn’t sustain enough drives. The defense can’t get off the field. The difference in time of possession in this game was a full quarter. Whatever the philosophies are for this team, on both sides of the ball, a full reevaluation is needed.
10. What’s Next? – As I sit here ruminating on this performance, I’m trying to figure out what the Steelers can do offensively. Do they need to run the ball more? They were last in the league in rushing yards coming into Sunday. Do they need to use 11 personnel more to get quicker skill players on the field? Change the passing scheme to run more crossing routes? Maybe use fewer players. Meaning they don’t change out the tight ends and receivers so much. Run more with the same group of players on the field and less of those who don’t contribute much. There is obviously no quick fix. But are there any tweaks they could make?
Related Items:Aaron Rodgers, Arthur Smith, Brandin Echols, Calvin Austin, Cam Heyward, Chris Boswell, Derrick Harmon, Derwin James, DK Metcalf, James Pierre, Jaylen Warren, Jonnu Smith, Kaleb Johnson, Keeanu Benton, Kenneth Gainwell, Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers, Yahya Black
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